The head pastor of Christ Embassy Church,Pastor Chris
Oyakhilome, has threatened legal recourse against journalists publishing
stories about him and his wife, Anita's divorce.
The pastor,though not denying the growing divorce scandal
surrounding him spoke through his lawyer, Mr. Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), calling
the accusations of adultery a "false and malicious" attack
against him and the church.
According to Saharareporters “The attention of our client,
Rev. Chris Oyakhilome, and the church has been drawn to the wave of false,
malicious and fabricated stories being published in the print and electronic
media about his person, the church and a matrimonial cause between him and his
wife," his attorney stated.
Sharply criticizing the recent coverage of the divorce proceedings, which the statement did not refute, the release claimed that publishers went so far as to fabricate claims that he had committed adultery against his wife, Anita. These contradict her claims that the leader of Christ Embassy Church had indeed been unfaithful during their "terribly degenerated" marriage, something she disclosed through counsel to Premium Times earlier Wednesday.
Characterizing the media's coverage of his wife's efforts to
divorce him as “complete distortion of the facts in the pending proceedings in
the United Kingdom”, the statement cited the coverage as "selfishly
motivated" for political and financial advantage.
Oyakhilome's counsel further said the media's coverage was
engineered to bring him and the church shame and ridicule, though his wife was
the person who aired the allegations against him. Earlier today, Wednesday,
Mrs. Oyakhilome even told Premium Times, through counsel, that the marriage had
"terribly degenerated".
The statement also acknowledged freedom of the press, but
quite contradictorily cautioned that further action will be taken to safeguard
the image of the church and the pastor if coverage continued. "Be warned
therefore that unless the concerned media houses desist from further publishing
words and stories which are false and damaging of our client’s reputation and
the church, we shall, without further recourse to the concerned publishers,
promptly embark on appropriate legal machinery with a view to protecting our
client’s reputation and that of the church."
*Threatening to sue anyone is so wrong...The rumour started
from inside his church where there is already some sort of division over his
marital problems.If there is anyone to caution here,it should start from inside
the church and his estranged wife who is divorcing him.
I am sure all the people reporting this shocking divorce
news are not celebrating it and are just as shocked as i am, shocked and
disappointed.
I pray God heal all parties involved.
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